HD interest among consumers strong, as is confusion, survey says

June 19, 2007

The HDTV market is set to explode with 78 percent of consumers saying their next TV will be an HDTV, according to a survey released from Hitachi America last week.

The survey found strong interest in buying HDTV spanning all household incomes. Eighty-five percent of those making more than $35,000 are interested in HDTV, and nearly 70 percent making below $35,000 are interested.

The survey found strong interest despite consumer confusion. Nearly two-thirds of consumers said they would not be comfortable explaining the various HDTV display options — such as DLP, LCD and plasma — in the market.

Women are a driving force behind big consumer purchases, with nearly half of households (45 percent) reporting that women are either equally or more responsible for researching big electronics purchases. Interestingly, when discussing HDTV options such as DLP, LCD and plasma, seven in 10 (73 percent) women say they are confused by the options, compared to only about half (51 percent) of men.

Regardless of income, Americans say that larger TV screens are more important than ever, with 37 percent of respondents saying they’d prefer a screen that is 50in or larger. For households with children, that number jumps to 47 percent. In addition to size, consumers increasingly want flat-panel TVs that can hang on a wall. The survey found that 71 percent of people either own (19 percent) or want to own (52 percent) a flat panel.

Hitachi and KRC Research conducted this nationwide telephone survey of 1055 adults 18 and older between May 18 and 21, 2007. The margin of error is +/- 3 percent with a confidence level of 95 percent.